1. Wedge-tailed Eagle

2. 12 Facts. 1. It is Australia’s largest bird of prey. 2. Most prey is captured on the ground in a swooping attack. 3. They regularly reach heights of far over 1800m. 4. Their diet consists of anything of a reasonable size. 5. They have been known to hunt the Red Kangaroo. 6. They have also been known to drive flocks of sheep or kangaroos to isolate weaker animals. 7. They are found in Australia and southern New Guinea 8. They have a wingspan of up to 2.27m. 9. They have a length of up to 1.04m. 10. They can see infrared and ultraviolet bands. 11. They are more commonly found in lightly timbered and open country. 12. They can fly for hours without wing-beat.

3. Dear Minister, My name is Matthew Di Gregorio and I am from Mazenod College, Mulgrave. We are currently doing an assignment on endangered animals and I have chosen the Wedge Tailed Eagle. Wedge Tailed Eagles are not in danger of becoming extinct any time soon, but there are lots of threats depleting their numbers that, if not stopped, will one day lead to extinction. Firstly, the clearing of forests has limited the amount of nesting areas for them, thus decreasing their population. Another threat is road kill. Wedge Tailed Eagles eat carrion, especially road kill. While on the road eating, they often become road kill themselves. In Tasmania, Wedge Tailed Eagles are isolated from the main land and are developed separately. They are critically endangered with only two pairs left. This is due to habitat loss, nest disturbances and being killed by trapping and shooting. To help protect the Wedge Tailed Eagle we need to stop cutting down forest and when you see road kill, to take it to the side of the road to avoid collisions with cars and Wedge Tailed Eagles while they are eating. Thank you for reading my letter, I hope you take these points into consideration. Yours sincerely, Matthew Di Gregorio

5. Bibliography: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Wedge_tailed_eagle_in_flight.jpg http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/wedgie.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge-tailed_Eagle http://www.australianfauna.com/images/wedgetailedeagle.jpg http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7_91IQIF4-c/SSt-HNJRtnI/AAAAAAAAA84/TpvYNi45vw8/s400/Wedge-tailed_Eagle.jpg